In this lesson we share some vital facts about Spanish numbers that you really must know! There are so many differences that you need to understand to really use Spanish numbers well
Come and join us and get your Spanish numbers standing in line like little soldiers.
129 - 3a NEW Beginners Spanish Alphabet from H to P
In this fun lesson we help you with what is the most fundamental andf important starting point when learning Spanish: The Spanish Alphabet for Beginners.
Once you have the Spanish Alphabet under control, your Spanish will fly!
In this fascinating lesson, we share with Spanish beginners some vital information on the irregular Spanish verbs that you MUST know if you want to speak Spanish well.
Although this is designed for Spanish Beginners, don’t miss it, even if you think that you have your Spanish verbs controlled!
¡Estamos de vuelta! We are back! Here we help you with some of the more tricky irregular Spanish verbs that are a fundamental part of every Spanish conversation.
Some of the irregular Spanish verbs that we cover are Ser, Estar, Tener and we even talk about the Go-Go verbs!
Come and join us!
If you would like to trySER SOCIO freely and want to receive two lessons a week from Gordon and Cynthiaof LightSpeed Spanish, just click HERE.
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Beginners Spanish False Friends are what we are covering in this lesson today. Come and join us and know the difference between your code and your elbow!
Spanish false friends is something that you should really know well.
109 - 65 Beginners Understanding PORQUE in Spanish
In this lesson we help you to understand PORQUE in Spanish. It can be a bit confusing sometimes when faced with so many different kinds of PORQUE in Spanish, but we help you through that here!
Come and join us and find out more about the whys and the becauses.
104 - 60 Beginners Spanish The O changes to U Why?
In this lesson, we help you to understand why the O changes to U and the Y changes to E in Spanish.
Come and join us and understand much more about these strange changes of words. You might be surprised to find out that we do similar things in English too. So, why is it that the O changes to U?
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In this lesson, we help you understand the difference between QUÉ and CUÁL. It’s actually easier than you might think! All you need is a couple of tips to help you make the right decision.
Come and join us and understand Qué and Cuál better.
Support this channel and have the chance to join our live classes HERE:
101 - 57 Beginners A1-B1 Spanish Test ¿Cómo se dice?
In this lesson, we give you an A1-B1 test called ¿Cómo se dice? These are sentences that don’t easily translate from one language to another. This creates a challenge for us to know how they are said in Spanish.
Come and joinus for the A1-B1 Spanish test with a difference.
Support this channel and have the chance to join our live classes HERE:
In this lesson, we explain the Spanish verb Topar and how it works. Note that this is not the first verb that a native speaker from Spain would reach for!
So, come and join us as we look at the Spanish verb TOPAR and have lots of fun and giggles in the process.
98 - Beginners Spanish Podcast 4 – Names and Introductions
In this beginner Spanish lesson we firstly help you introduce yourself by correctly offering your name and then we show you how to ask someone for their name and introduce a friend. One of the biggest mistakes that beginner students make is introducing themselves incorrectly. You’ll find out that, normally, Spanish speakers don’t say “My name is..” but rather: “I call myself…”. First impressions are everything and so knowing how to greet people correctly, like a true Spanish speaker, makes all the difference. Of course, all the additional information and guidance can be found in the comprehensive Spanish help-sheets.
In this our third free Spanish lesson online for beginners, we continue to help you polish your Spanish pronunciation and gain greater speaking confidence by teaching you the rest of the Spanish alphabet. Listen in to discover how to develop your “R” sound so you talk like a true Spanish speaker. ¡Buena suerte! Remember, in-depth, additional information and guidance can be found in the comprehensive Spanish help-sheets for beginners.
96 - Spanish Beginner Podcast 2 – The Spanish Alphabet A to G
In this Spanish beginner podcast we cover the essential sounds that will help you sound like a native Spanish speaker. One of the greatest hurdles to overcome in your learning journey is developing an authentic Spanish accent. Starting right at the beginning is vital if you want to avoid getting into bad habits. We take you through the most important sounds in the Spanish alphabet and help you understand and, more importantly, be understood. Of course, all the additional information and guidance can be found in our comprehensive Spanish help sheets.
95 - Beginner Spanish Podcast 1 – Greetings in Spanish
Greeting in Spanish.
Text books and real life.
Many students of English learn that when English speaking people greet you, they say the following: “Hello, good morning. How do you do?” Anyone who has ever lived in an English speaking country will know that this is rarely the case! Mostly we offer a simple, “Hi!” or, in our region, a brief: “Y’all right?”. I can’t recall the last time someone asked me how I did. Well, the same applies to greetings in Spanish. Quite often, what we find filling the majority of study books isn’t what we find happening in the real world. In this our first beginner lesson on greetings in Spanish, we cover the various ways that Spanish speakers really do greet each other.
Hi and Bye.
One of the funniest things that I saw for the first time in Madrid was when two people on opposite sides of the road greeted each other. They clearly didn’t have time to say hello, so they simply shouted: “Hasta luego” at each other! (See you later.) It seemed hilarious that rather than saying Hello, they said Goodbye. Yet, when I (Gordon) mentioned it to Cynthia said to me, ” Well, you all say: “Alright?” to each other and don’t expect an answer!” And she was right. Clearly, each country will have their typical greetings in Spanish and the ones that we offer you here are general enough to be used anywhere, although the best way is to take notice of how the local people greet each other and copy that.
Spanish Horario (Timetable) for eating.
In this Podcast on greetings in Spanish we also examine a little of the unusual way the Spanish measure their day. As you listen in you will begin to understand that how you choose to greet people depends on some factors that you wouldn’t normally take into account in an English speaking country. We´ll explain to you how to know when to say: “Good morning” or “Good afternoon” and what it means when one person greets with “Good morning!” and the other answers with, “Good afternoon!. This is a great place to start your learning journey in Spanish. Getting your greetings in Spanish right can make a massive difference in how people react to you and can influence how they choose to help you going forward. Listen in and we will guide you through, step by step. ¡Buena suerte! Remember, our helpsheets will really help you better understand this very important subject. Podcast_1_Greetings 0:00/0:00Play new window|Download
In this lesson we help you to test your Gustar and we focus on the A1-A2. Come and join us and see how you do!
Remember, after you test your Gustar, visit our website to brush up on the areas that you need help with. You’ll find lots of free content in our Videocasts.
In this lesson we have some fun looking at Spanish greetings and the difference between: Igualmente vs Tú también.
Although sometimes these two sentences can be used in the same situation, sometimes they can’t be! Come and find out more about Igualmente vs Tú también.
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Be sure to check out our other Spanish student videocasts here. We release a new videocast each week and vary the level from Beginner to Advanced.
86 - 46 Beginners Meter vs Poner the putting verbs
In this lesson we talk about the putting verbs like Meter vs Poner and how we can know when to use each one.
We also cover the key verb Colocar along with some phrasal putting verbs that can catch us out. Learn more about Meter vs Poner here.
Be sure to watch to the end where we have a good old laugh about the mistakes that we have made.
To get your beginners verb conjugation course, just go HERE.
Be sure to check out our other Spanish student videocasts here. We release a new videocast each week and vary the level from Beginner to Advanced.
If you would like to have regular lessons with Gordon and Cynthia, why not consider joining our Ser Socio subscriber group HERE. The first month is free with the coupon code: FREEMONTH
In this lesson we talk about using Pero or Sino and what the differences are between them.
They both can mean But, and are often used wrongly. To learn more about Pero or Sino, come and join us now!
Be sure to check out our other Spanish student videocasts here. We release a new videocast each week and vary the level from Beginner to Advanced.
If you would like to have regular lessons with Gordon and Cynthia, why not consider joining our Ser Socio subscriber group HERE. The first month is free with the coupon code: FREEMONTH
In this lesson we talk about lots of verbs like Gustar and how we can use them easily. Pay special attention to the verbs that a non-native Spanish speaker wouldn’t choose, like Faltar, Sobrar and Quedar.
Come and sharpen up your verbs like Gustar with Gordon and Cynthia.
Be sure to check out our other Spanish student videocasts here. We release a new videocast each week and vary the level from Beginner to Advanced.
If you would like to have regular lessons with Gordon and Cynthia, why not consider joining our Ser Socio subscriber group HERE. The first month is free with the coupon code: FREEMONTH
81 - 41 Beginners Great Spanish Pronunciation LightSpeed Spanish
In this lesson we laugh our way through the main issues that we have with Spanish pronunciation and we offer some tips on how you can improve your soft Rs.
This is the first in the new series of videocasts for all levels. So, if you want to develop some great Spanish pronunciation, then this is the lesson for you!
80 - Beginners Spanish Podcast 23 – Spanish Accents / MI or MÍ
Spanish Accents in Strange places. Maybe during your Spanish language learning journey you’ve noticed that there are some words that are spelled the same yet one of them has an accent or tilde and the other doesn’t. Many times the accent barely changes the pronunciation, if at all. The most confusing part of this, of course, is not when you have to say these words, but when you have to write them. Is it SOLO or SÓLO? Should I write EL or ÉL?
Is it MI or MÍ?
Understanding Why.
This is the key to getting it right, of course. If you don’t know why they have Spanish accents, then you will never be able to know when they should have them and when they shouldn’t.
The actual reason is fairly straightforward. Many words have the same spelling, yet are different in meaning and need to be identified as different. Thus, when faced with writing the word, MY, you need to know if you should write MI or MÍ. Just by listening to the pronunciation will not necessarily give you the answer.
For example, AUN and AÚN are very difficult to identify with the ear. and so, there needs to be another way to distinguish between them.
So, What’s the Answer?
The answer is knowing what each word means so that you can always choose the correct one. For example, TU without the Spanish accent means YOUR, whilst TÚ with the accent means YOU. Subtle? Yes, it’s true, however, it’s a fundamentally important difference.
Do all Spanish Speakers Use Accents?
Unfortunately, the vast majority of Spanish speakers don’t always use the Spanish accents correctly. They often miss them out, or add the odd one just for the look of it. As students of Spanish, however, we really don’t have that luxury. We should always strive to put them in their rightful place. Why? Because, as the saying goes, before you stop using something, you must first understand it.
If you don’t even bother to learn the, just because other native speakers don’t bother with them, then you will have a permanent skills gap in your Spanish which is sure to cause you issues later.
So, listen in or watch on as we explain to you the meanings of these words and how to identify them in the future. Remember, everything we cover in the podcasts is covered in much greater depth in the helpsheets.
There really is something very strange about what happens to people when they embark on the task of learning Spanish. In our experience, the vast majority of students only want to read and write most of the time. Of course, we know fine well why this is. Reading and writing is a very safe part of learning a language. We have time, we can ponder at our leisure about the meaning of something or how we should structure a particular sentence. What is more, when you read and write you can repeat the same sentence over and over again until you get it to what you perceive to be a good level. It’s all just so very comfortable for us as learners. Don’t you agree?
Listening and Speaking makes no allowances.
What most learners are afraid of, however, is having to listen or to speak Spanish. Why? Because these two mediums of communication are the least forgiving. There is little chance for us to repeat and repeat our sentences until we get them right. When we listen in a live situation, for example, we either catch the idea or we don’t. When we are speaking off the cuff, we either say what we want to say correctly, or we cock it up. And that is frightening to us. We don’t like getting things wrong. In fact, we would go as far as to say that making a mistake in Spanish is, for many sensitive students, a cardinal sin. For that reason, they avoid any Spanish listening or speaking situations.
It’s a vicious circle.
The problem with avoiding Spanish listening or speaking opportunities is that we never get any practice at it and so never get any better. We study away, scribbling in our books and reading everything we can get our hands on and yet, when we are faced with any test of our Spanish listening or speaking skills, we react like the rabbit in the headlights and clam up.
It doesn’t need to be that way.
If you can relate to this in any way, then fear not! Help is at hand. At the end of many of our Podcast series’ we produce a ‘Test your Spanish Listening Skills’ podcast. We pitch them at different skill levels and they provide you the opportunity of listening in to find out how much you can pick up and understand. The great thing about these Podcasts is that you CAN repeat-listen as many times as you like. It’s amazing how much more you pick up of the fine detail when you listen three, four or five times. Even more helpful is listening firstly without the transcript, so that you get as much of the information as you can and then following up by listening along with the transcript. This system of listening and reading the words at the same time is a fantastic way of training your ear to pick up on, and going forward, understand the words that most cause you an issue. We can’t recommend it highly enough. If you are wondering how to get hold of the transcripts for these Podcasts, then just go to our website and check out the Helpsheets page. We hope you enjoy the podcast and testing your Spanish listening skills. Gordon y Cynthia
78 - 39 Beginners Verbs that begin with DES in Spanish.
Des in Spanish.
In this podcast Cynthia and I realised something very important. That was that the verbs with DES in Spanish don’t always have a logical explanation to them. Of course, we have the same kind of verbs in English, only in English they tend to have many and varied prefixes. Sometimes there’s a pattern, sometimes there most certainly isn’t.
Some examples.
So, let’s take a look at some of the verbs that start with DES in Spanish and see how they work: Destruir = Destroy Here we have an example of a verb that starts with DES in Spanish and in English.
The opposite number.
What is interesting about the verb Destruir is that it has its antonym/antónimo in Construir. So, as we see, by changing the prefix we change Destroy into Construct. Perhaps it will be easier to see the connection by looking at these words: Destrucción-Construcción.
Can we do that each time?
So, the question is, ‘If we can create the antonym of this word by whipping off the DES in Spanish and adding CON, can we do that with all if the verbs that start with DES in Spanish?’ The simple answer is NO! Take a look at these examples: Desmayarse = to faint. This is a stand alone verb and ‘Conmayarse’ doesn’t exist as a word. Rather the antonym of the verb ‘to faint’ is: Recobrarse or Recuperarse. Deshacer = to undo. In this example, we just need to take off the Des in Spanish to create the antonym which is Hacer= to do. So, unfortunately, there is no hard and fast rule to know what to do with these verbs that start with Des in Spanish. There are some patterns but, for the most part, they cannot be counted on every time.
It’s the same in English.
Of course the same thing applies to the Dis verbs in English too. Sometimes you can take the Dis off and you get the antonym. Here is an example: Disagree. Agree. However, there are just as many exceptions: Disable – Enable Discard – Retain Disbark – Embark
Learn the verbs with Des in Spanish one by one.
The bottom line is that, just as we do in English, in Spanish we will have to learn each of the verbs individually. There really is no hard and fast rule that will help you out. In this podcast we will be doing our best to highlight some of the key verbs with Des in Spanish. In the Helpsheets there’ll be even more! Esperamos que te guste. Gordon y Cynthia:)
So, just what is Lo in Spanish and what does it mean? Well, to answer the first question, LO is what we call an indirect pronoun. What that means is that it is a shortened version of certain Spanish words and we use it to speed up our spoken and written language.
What it means. (Most of the time.)
What Lo in Spanish means is the following: Him/It. Some examples of this would be: Lo conocí en Berlín. = I met him in Berlin.¿Lo has visto? = Have you seen it? So, the job of LO in Spanish in these examples is to avoid having to write or say the full name of the thing or person.
But wait, that’s not all.
But what is going on with sentences like, ‘Lo importante’ or ‘Lo interesante’? Well, in these cases, for us as English speakers we need to think about Lo in Spanish as meaning ‘THING’. ‘Lo importante es que estemos allí para las diez.’ = The importante thing is that we are there for ten. ‘Lo interesante de su discurso era la información sobre la compañía.’= The interesting thing about his talk was the information about the company. So, as you can see, when we place the ‘Lo in Spanish’ before an adjective, it becomes ‘the thing’. Once you understand that, many of the confusions simply fade away. Lo in Spanish is used in other situations, too, all of which we will be covering either in the podcast here or in the Helpsheets that always complement our coaching podcasts. Clearly, we aim to give the viewer as much information in the ten minute classes as we possibly can. However, there is always more to cover. We do that in our Helpsheets which this time around will be crammed with practical exercises so that you get it ‘right first time’ every time you use Lo in Spanish.
Other uses of Lo in Spanish.
If you want to look further into the use of LO in Spanish then you can check out how the phrases are used such as:
Lo de…
Lo que…
Lo nuestro…
In the forthcoming helpsheets (we haven’t got them finished yet, but estamos en ello) we will also be covering these expressions and so much more. So now, enjoy the podcast and we hope that you get great benefit from it. Como siempre, os mandamos un saludo muy grande. Gordon y Cynthia:)
76 - 37 Beginners The Verb Poder in Spanish Such an important verb!
What is so special about the verb Poder in Spanish?
Well, that’s an interesting question. A more appropriate one, however, would be: What’s so special about the verb To Be Able in English? Because to be frank, it’s quite weird and very irregular in English. That’s not to say that the verb Poder in Spanish is any less irregular. However, there’s something strange about how we use the To Be Able verb in English that causes us to have problems when we try to use the verb Poder in Spanish.
Are you able to do this or can you do this?
The first issue that we have is that, unlike in Spanish, the verb ‘to be able’ is also used as ‘can’. However, the word ‘can’ cannot function as an infinitive. We can’t say: ‘I am going to can to do it.’ Rather we have to say, ‘I am going to be able to do it.’ With the verb Poder in Spanish, it’s much easier: Voy a poder hacerlo.
It’s weird in it’s present tense form.
We probably are very aware that the verb Poder in Spanish is irregular in present tense. Yet did you realise that it is also irregular in English too? Look at this: I can/Puedo You can/Puedes He/she/it can (not ‘cans’ which is the normal conjugation. e.g He eats, sleeps, works etc.)/Puede We can/Podemos You all can/Podéis They can/Pueden So, as you can see, it’s missing the famous ‘s’ that appears in third person singular in most English verbs.
The Conditional ‘Could’, the Preterite ‘Could’ and the Imperfect ‘Could’.
The other issue that causes us confusion when we try to use the verb Poder in Spanish is the strange thing it does in English Look at these examples: Pude hacerlo. = I could do it (one off event in which I tried and I did it.) e.g. The door was locked, but finally I could get in. = La puerta estaba cerrada con llave pero al final pude entrar. Podía hacerlo. = I could do it (repetitive action in which I was able to do it many times.) e.g. When i was younger I played the trumpet and I could do it well. = Cuando era joven tocaba la trompeta y podía hacerlo bien. Podría hacerlo. = I could do it (If I wanted to do it. I have the capacity.) e.g. Podría hacerlo si no hubiera otra opción. = I could do it if there were no other option. So, it’s no wonder that we have so many issues when we are working on assimilating and understanding the verb Poder in Spanish. Although it’s irregular in Spanish it is nothing compared to the confusion we have with it in English. Imagine how it must be for a foreign person to have to learn the rules on the verb ‘to be able’. So, before you start to complain bitterly about having problems with the verb Poder in Spanish, spare a thought for all of those people who never had the luxury of learning its English version unconsciously as we did. Watch on as we talk you through this interesting verb. Gordon y Cynthia:)
75 - 36 Beginners Spanish The Definite Article in Spanish A Real Puzzle
What is the Definite article in Spanish?
Good question. Before we start to talk about how to use it, we had better clear up just what on earth it is. Actually, when you think about what it’s called, for once the grammatical name that they’ve given it actually makes sense. The definite article in English is THE. The definite article in Spanish is EL, LA, LOS, LAS.
The name makes sense for once!
If you think about it, when we say: ‘The cat next door.’ we are referring to a definite, actual, real, existing cat. For that reason the word THE is called the definite article. To help you better understand this, let’s look at what the Indefinite article is. In English this is: A, or SOME as in a cat, a dog, a house, some cats, some dogs, some houses. In Spanish, the indefinite articles are: UN, UNA, UNOS, UNAS. Can you see why these might be called indefinite? Basically, it’s because we are not talking about a specific thing, but rather something in general.
So what’s the problem?
The real problem is that the rules are not very clear about when you should use the definite article in Spanish and when you shouldn’t (nor are they in English for that matter). This makes it difficult for the student of the Spanish language to know if they should say: ‘Aprendo Español’ or, ‘Aprendo el español’. It seems that sometimes the definite article in Spanish is used just like it is in English, yet at other times it isn’t.
Gustar for example.
With Gustar and other impersonal verbs, most times the definite article in Spanish is used. So we see sentences like: Me gustan los animales. = I like the animales. Clearly, in English we would only use the definite article if we were talking about some specific animals, for example: I like the animals at that farm. Whatever the case in English, the definite article in Spanish is used with these kind of verbs as a matter of course.
Sometimes it’s even an abbreviation.
What throws more confusion into the pot is when Spanish speakers use the definite article as a shortened version of a longer sentence. La Elena llega un poco más tarde. = The sister, Elena is arriving a little later. In this sentence, the word, hermana or hija, sobrina, nieta, prima, for that matter is omitted. Instead, they just use the definite article in Spanish and the listeners fill in the gap.
Listen in as we help you with this.
We cover this tricky subject in our podcast and also offer much more detailed information in our helpsheets which will offer you lots of exercises this time to help you perfect your use of the definite article in Spanish. Esperamos que os guste. Gordon y Cynthia.:)
74 - 35 Beginners Spanish Prepositions The small, important words.
Spanish Prepositions….What the devil are they?
Basically, these words are the glue that sticks sentences together. They are words like: with, without, for, from, between, to, along with many, many more. They are the words we use in our own mother tongue with grace, heightened ability and class. However, when it comes to using them in Spanish, everything seems to go a bit ‘patas arriba’.
They are the little words.
Without even knowing that they were talking about Spanish prepositions, so many of my students have said to me at one time or another: “I’m okay with conjugating verbs. it’s those damn little words that cause me the most trouble.” What they really meant was that it was those damn Spanish prepositions that were causing them the problem.
But why are Spanish prepositions so troublesome?
Really, it’s their behaviour that catches us on the hop a little. You see, they don’t always behave like English prepositions. That’s to say, sometimes they do, and sometimes they don’t. What is more, many, many Spanish prepositions are attached to verbs and most times, there’s no real pattern that we can see and follow. For example: The verb Aprender has the preposition ‘a’. So, when we want to say: I learn to swim. we have to say: Aprendo a nadar. Yet, when we use Querer to say ‘to want to’ we don’t use any Spanish preposition. For example: Quiero nadar. = I want to swim. Why? I have no idea….because….that’s just what they do…(or, you can spend hours looking through forums to find out why).
That’s just the way it is.
Basically, this is the real answer: Because they do. so, our suggestion is that you to set about learning the melody of the language so that you ‘just know’ when a verb has a preposition. Is it a big job? Yes!! Is it possible to do? Yes!!!!!! One of the best ways to learn when you should use a Spanish preposition is by listening to spoken Spanish or to read Spanish books. That’s how you will learn, through dogged repetition, just how to use Spanish prepositions well.
Can I just miss them out?
Absolutely! You do not need to use Spanish prepositions if you don’t want to. However, your Spanish will be stilted, tarzanesque and difficult to follow at times. Like anything in life, you can choose to do it a different way and you will be certain to get a different result. However, as we have said, Spanish prepositions are the glue that holds your sentences together and so, if you made a model aeroplane without any glue, it would probably fall apart on its first flight (if it flew at all). So, our best advice is to get on to learn them well. Be patient with yourself, however, it’s a long job with many variations. The end result, though, will give you and your listeners great comfort, so it’s really worth going for it. You can make a great start on this by watching our Podcast on this very subject. Buena suerte, Gordon y Cynthia:)
I recall one of the very first times I went to Spain to visit my wife’s family and was introduced to her ‘tía Maribel’. Maribel was chatting animatedly with me and mid flow, without any warning she stuck her two fingers up at me. My immediate reaction was one of shocked surprise. Why? Because in the U.K., that gesture can have three meanings. Two are wonderful, one is terrible and it all depends on which way your hand is facing.
Peace/Victory or Vete a la Mi…da.
If the palm of the hand is facing the listener, then the gesture can mean Peace or Victory. In the U.K. you could go around all day sticking your fingers up at people that way and no one would take offence. However, turn your hand around with your palm facing you and the gesture is the same as ‘flipping the bird’ and in essence you are saying: ‘Go away in jerky movements’.
The Big Difference.
In Spain, and in the Spanish culture, the self same gesture simply refers to the number ‘two’. So, all Maribel was doing was explaining that there were two of whatever it was that she was describing. What struck me about that moment was that I realised that my own British culture had inbuilt into my psyche an unconscious reaction to that gesture. Even though I knew that Maribel wasn’t telling me to get lost, so to speak, I couldn’t help feeling quite put out about it all.
Andar con mucho cuidado. Proceed with caution.
It was that experience that partially inspired this blog. You see, if you are in Spain, or any other country for that matter, and you get the gesture wrong, using something that is very negative or rude without knowing it, you can cause quite an unconscious reaction. And that can happen even if the people know you are not doing it on purpose! Because of our conditioning, we can’t help but to take offence.
This Podcast.
So, with that in mind, it really is worthwhile learning these insights into the Spanish culture and understanding which gestures are the most offensive. That way, if you have a similar kind of gesture in your culture that means something else, you can avoid using it whilst in Spain.
Flipping the Bird.
What is interesting is that raising the middle finger has exactly the same meaning in Spain as it does in the USA and other European countries. So, if someone is rude to you or cuts you up in traffic, this is the perfect one to show them your displeasure. Jaja. Gordon
72 - 33 Abs Beginners Saying ANY in Spanish Algunos/Unos
Let’s help you to know how to say ANY in Spanish.
What’s really interesting is the fact that in English we use ANY in a couple of ways. We have this way: 1, Do you have any glue in your workshop? and then there’s this kind of ‘any’: 2, I don’t want just any! This difference causes Spanish speakers no end of confusion because in their language they have two distinct words to express these sentiments. In example number 1, the ‘any’ is translated as ‘algún pegamento’ (Other options are: alguno/alguna/algunos/algunas) In example 2, the ‘any’ is translated as ‘cualquiera’. So, to say ANY in Spanish, you have a few options, something which can cause us problems too. Especially when we are faced with the strange ‘cualquier’ word.
The STRANGE word CUALQUIER
Why is this strange? Well, it’s because this adjective doesn’t behave like normal Spanish adjectives. Rather, it has only two options, regardless of the noun it describes. Look at this: No quiero cualquier cosa. = I don’t want just anything. Yo estaría contento con cualquier coche. = I’d be happy with any car. Mándame un hombre cualquiera. = Send me any man. ¿Cuál quieres?…Cualquiera. = Which one do you want? …Any. Have you noticed that no matter what the gender of the noun that it describes, when it is used before the noun it is always ‘cualquier’? Then, if it is a stand-alone word with no noun after it, it turns into ‘cualquiera’ regardless of the gender of the noun it is referring to. This was always a confusion for me as I began learning Spanish. And so, when I wanted to say ‘any’ in Spanish I would avoid ‘cualquier’ like the plague. Clearly, as you can now see, you must be able to ‘dominar’ both ‘alguno’ and family as well as ‘cualquier/a’ if you really want to be able to express yourself properly. In this podcast we help you to do this by way of live examples and simple descriptions that will guide you through this tricky ‘puzzle español’.
Where to go for help.
For more information and guidance on virtually every grammar subject in Spanish all you need do is to use the search bar on our website and you will find what you need along with some simple, easy to understand explanations. Every podcast is backed up by comprehensive Helpsheetsand a Transcription/Translation of the spoken Spanish used during the podcast. LightSpeed Spanish also provides online tuition and is soon to begin offering online group classes on predetermined subjects on a weekly basis. Saludos, Gordon y Cynthia
71 - 32 Abs Beginners Spanish Test your Level The Mónica Naranjo Concert
Your Listening Spanish Test.
In this Podcast we offer you a story about a concert that we went to in Barcelona. It was a show put on by Mónica Naranjo to celebrate her 40th birthday. Mónica has probably the best, strongest voice in the whole of Spain and yet during her career her music has maintained a cult status in the world of pop. Her fans adore her and she has gained a massive gay following which is palpably visible in the audience of her concerts. Mónica’s style is theatrical, avantgarde and at times almost operatic and Cynthia and I love her. Our short story with which we give you a Spanish test is centred around our journey to the concert, the poor directions that the hotel receptionist gave us and our subsequent 30 minute walk up what seemed to be a cliff face. Finally, after a great deal of stress, questions to passers by and about two pints of sweat, we finally made it to the Club San Jordi. The concert was fabulous and Mónica sang all of the songs that we had hoped to hear. The only downside was the pain in our backs that both Cynthia and I were suffering due to having walked around Barcelona all day only to then have to scale a mountain in order to reach the event. Still, it was worth it and the concert will remain in our memories as one of the highlights of 2014. Once we move to Madrid in Spain we will undoubtedly have the opportunity to see many more of our favourite Spanish artists. ¡Qué ilusión!
Why have a Spanish test?
It’s good to make a Spanish test of your listening abilities as often as you can to give you a good gauge on how well tuned in you are to the language. However, it’s not always the level of the Spanish that’s being used that trips us up. More often than not it’s the person that is speaking that makes it easy or very difficult for us to understand. In any language, the effort that the person puts into their speech to make themselves understood is paramount to the listener. In my view, the speaker has a more important job to do than the listener. The reason I say that is that I have learnt that there is a certain kind of person that exists in every place in the world that cannot be understood and, at the same time, there are those that can be understood perfectly. This is why:
Good communicators:
Enunciate all words fully. Use generous gestures and facial expressions. Observe their listeners closely, ensuring they are getting all the right signs of understanding. Speak with a musical, expressive tone neither too high nor too low. Maintain eye contact and speak toward their audience. Speak in a measured, medium to slow pace.
Poor communicators:
Swallow their words or barely open their mouths. Have minimal or non-existent body moments. Speak in a monotone fashion with little or no expression. Pay little attention to their listeners. Often speak down to the floor or away from their audience. Speak quickly or with a mixed rhythm, trailing off and speeding up toward the end of each sentence.
Where do you fit in?
So, the question is: Which category does your speaking style fit into? Do you consider yourself to be a good communicator? Like everything, it’s all about intention. If you really want your audience to understand what you are saying, then good communication comes naturally. However, it doesn’t do any harm to work on the above points so that you can become a master communicator. After all, if no one understands what you are saying, it’s hardly worth talking. Ha ha. Enjoy the podcast.
70 - Beginners Spanish Pronunciation 31 LL, Y, B, V. Let’s clear this up!
The confusion around Spanish Pronunciation
One of the most confusing issues with Spanish pronunciation is knowing how we should pronounce the Y and the LL, closely followed by the B and the V. In this podcast we cover the correct way to pronounce these letters according to what is called ‘Received Pronunciation’. For those not familiar with this expression, it simply means the way that we should speak if we were to use standard Spanish. (That’s free of regional accent.) Of course, the issue is that very few people have an accent free pronunciation. And this is where the problem starts.
That’s not what I hear in my village…
The danger with offering pronunciation guidelines is that invariably, we get emails and comments from people saying: “Well, where I go in Spain they pronounce the V as a V and not as a B as you suggest.” And what can we say to that? Of course they do! Language is not a solid, unmovable concept. It’s fluid, plastic, and it changes from place to place, from region to region, from north to south, from country to country and even from person to person.
We are just saying that…
Faced with the massive variations that surround us, the very best that we can offer is the ‘standard’ Spanish way. But, why bother? If it’s all so different, why should we even try to follow one way? The best way to answer that question is to say that everyone understands standard Spanish. Wherever you go in the Spanish speaking world you have more chance of being understood if you aim to speak in standard Spanish. Remember, for us non-natives, we have the added challenge of achieving a decent pronunciation. Imagine if we spend our efforts copying a really difficult Spanish accent and do a terrible job of it! We are going to have a lot of problems getting Spanish speakers from other areas to understand us.
It’s the best way…
Really, our advice is to work on creating our own standard Spanish pronunciation. Some people say that they don’t want to sound strange. Don’t worry, we do anyway! We are foreign. Spanish speakers will know that we aren’t from their country.
Your challenge…
The very best we can do is to develop such a standard accent that, although Spanish speakers know we are foreign, they can’t tell where we are from! Now, that is ‘un logro’. (An achievement.) The reason we say that is that it’s normally quite easy to identify the nationality of a Spanish speaking foreigner, especially if they’re French or English because of the R. So, why not take up the challenge to get your accent as close to neutral as possible. Watch this video podcast as the first step in getting there! Gordon y Cynthia
69 - Beginners Spanish Podcast 30 – Test Your Listening Skills
Learning grammar is so important for any student of the Spanish language. In fact, it’s a vital part of building up your listening skill. However, there comes a time when the grammar needs to be put to one side and the real work of listening to a genuine conversation in Spanish needs to happen.
The Right and the Wrong way to listen to a Spanish podcast.
Yes, that’s right! There is a right and a wrong way to listen to Spanish being spoken. Over the years we have come across many people who do not know how to listen and have had to learn it as a skill. You may say: Well, all you need do is listen. What can be so difficult about that? The truth of the matter, however, is that it isn’t as simple as you might have imagined. Let us tell you about some of the ways NOT to listen first:
The Wrong Way
Rabbit in the Headlights.
This is probably the most common. Many students when faced with a Spanish speaker talking to them quite literally PANIC. They start a running dialogue in their head that normally goes like this: Oh my God! They’re talking to me in Spanish! What if I don’t understand! What will they think of me! I’m not good enough to have them talking to me! They think I’m fluent! I don’t understand! etc. etc. etc. Finally, the person puts them out of their misery by finishing what they were saying and the poor listener realises that they HAVEN’T HEARD A WORD THEY SAID.
I’m sure I know that word.
This is another common listening mistake. As someone speaks to you in Spanish, you hear a word that’s familiar but you can’t quite recall what it means. You start to search your memory asking yourself where you heard it before, whilst all the time telling yourself that you should know it. Finally, the speaker comes to a close and you realise that YOU HAVEN?T HEARD A WORD THEY HAVE SAID.
The Right Way
The Shower Technique.
This is fairly self explanatory. When you listen to someone what you should do is to imagine that their words are like drops of water from a shower. You let them wash over you without any attempt to focus on one particular drop. The idea of this is to capture the idea of the sentence and not the individual details of what is being said. If you hear an unfamiliar word, you just let it go by and trust that your mind will fill in the gaps for you. This works very well. Pay attention to when you listen in your own language. If someone asked you to repeat word for word what someone has told you, you would find it very difficult. Our minds focus on the message rather than the details.
The Vacant Stare.
This combines nicely with the Shower technique in as much as when someone is talking to you in Spanish, you let the words wash over you whilst you adopt a blank kind of mentality. It’s almost like a state of meditation or trance. Let your breathing slow down, soften the focus of your eyes. Relax your mind. When the person has finished, wait for your mind to tell you what they just said. You’ll be amazed how often what your mind tells you they said is absolutely correct. (And now and again it get’s it absolutely wrong, too!)
The Power of Three.
When you are listening to something NEVER assume that if you cannot understand it the first time around you never will. This is simply not the case. To know if you can understand something you must first listen to it THREE times as a minimum. The first time you are just getting a very basic idea of what is being said. The second time around your mind begins to help you fill in the details. The third time, you begin to focus on the words you missed beforehand. There is no shame in listening to something TEN or TWENTY times. How many times must children hear a word before they can use it?
Be brave Enough to Ask for Clarity.
If you are in a live conversation, then the most valuable phrases you can learn are:
¿Qué significa eso? = What does that mean?
and
¿Cómo se dice? = How do you say?
and
¿Puedes repetir eso, por favor? = Can you repeat that, please?
Listen if you want to Speak.
Listening is the key to being able to speak. Many students try to talk all the time and never really move beyond the level they are at. This is because, to improve your Spanish you must listen well. Remember: We have ONE MOUTH and TWO EARS and we should use them in that ratio when learning Spanish. Gracias de Gordon y Cynthia.
One of the most frequent reasons we hear for people learning Spanish is so that they can have “a chat” with the locals in their favourite holiday resort. Naturally, “a chat” can mean many things to many people and there are different levels of “chatting” that go from asking someone how they are to asking their opinion on the political climate. During the 90’s in the U.K. there was a surge in the number of people learning Spanish. This was because 80% of people who went abroad for their holidays went to Spain. Not only that but a lot of people were making plans to retire to Spain and realised that they need to get the “lingo” if they were to survive out there. The problem was that most people who wanted to learn Spanish were terrified of GRAMMAR. This was a throw back from their school days that they had never learnt to overcome and so many colleges that offered Spanish were getting requests for courses that focussed more on the spoken word than on grammatical structure.
Beginner’s Conversational Spanish. (the oxymoron)
Because of this obvious marketing opportunity, there suddenly appeared on the market a plethora of Spanish classes entitled, “Beginner’s Conversational Spanish.” Now, for anyone who has learnt a language, you will know that no such thing exists. Conversing in Spanish or in any other language for that matter is a skill that demands high levels of knowledge and vocabulary, not to speak of a tremendous command of the tenses. Yet, despite being mis-sold, the classes proved very popular and as a result an entire generation of Spanish speakers were spawned that without any concious awareness went about killing the language with every sentence they uttered and striking fear into every Spanish waiter this side of the costas.
The Turn Around.
Fortunately, the more serious people learning Spanish these days realise that grammar is a fundamental part of learning. And although it’s not easy at first, they are getting to grips with the fact that it must go hand in hand with with learning vocabulary and useful expressions. So, it’s in this podcast that we aim to give you some useful ways of making conversation in Spanish. We show you how to give opinions and ask others for theirs. We give you real life examples of how to respond if you agree with what someone says and what to do if you don’t. Knowing how to ask these kinds of open questions is the key to instigating great conversations and will give you the opportunity to listen, a great skill that not many people are capable of and yet can be the making of your Spanish. Join us as we talk you through some key ways to really converse in Spanish.
This may sound like a cliché and let’s be clear, what we are saying here is NOT the following: Easy Spanish in one weekend!Easy Spanish with 300 words!Easy Spanish without verbs! or even Easy Spanish whilst you sleep! and the best we’ve seen, Easy Spanish without studying!
Así no se hace.
No, no, no. Our suggestion is to steer clear of anything that claims to be magical. When we say, Easy Spanish, what we are referring to are ways to make your Spanish easier to use. There are many great ways of learning Spanish and we certainly do not claim to offer you the only way to learn. However, over time we have found that there are some things that really do make a difference. We already have talked in a previous podcast about ensuring that you READ, WRITE, LISTEN and SPEAK Spanish every day, even if it’s just a matter of a few minutes of each. It seems that one of the best ways of learning a language is to chunk it down into small bites. When you look at the entire process involved in learning Spanish, you could easily become overwhelmed by the vastness of it all. That’s why it’s better just to look at the next step, whilst being vaguely aware of what lies ahead without worrying overly about it. Another important requirement is repetition. Just because you’ve seen one thing does not mean that it’s logged into your mind. It’s the dogged repetition that does that. I’ve lost count of the times in which I have covered a particular subject or grammar point for the fourth or fifth time with a student and only then have they had that wonderful “lightbulb” moment in which it all fits together for them. Quite often they say to me: “Ah, I get it now. Why didn’t you tell me that before!” Of course, I had done, many times before, but they simply weren’t in the right place to understand it. Learning language is like working on a giant 100,000 piece jigsaw puzzle and the problem is that you’ve lost the box top that had the whole picture on it. You can recall vaguely what it was, but the details aren’t available. So, what happens is that you have to start forming the corners, the edges etc. and little by little you get pieces of the image, but not the whole picture. Sometimes you manage to get a little cluster of pieces that fit together but you have no idea where they fit into the whole puzzle. And so that’s why you can have lots of information and still feel confused about what it is you are doing. It’s only when one important piece links lots of others that you get that “KERJING” moment and you see the bigger picture. Remember the 80/20 rule and you’ll be much calmer and more patient with yourself. Learning Spanish is 80% frustration and confusion and 20% clarity. Expect it to be like that and you’ll find yourself enjoying the whole process. Welcome the confusion, because we’ve always found that just after confusion comes clarity. Sometimes, you have to wait a while for it to arrive, however!
The Spanish Conditional tense is a frequently used and important part of Spanish grammar. Its job, in essence, is to give a sense of what could be, what should be, or what would be possible. An old English teacher of mine called it the EXCUSE tense. He said that if he could, he would ban it from use. His reasoning was that when people used it, it more than often was their way of saying they weren’t going to do something. Most often, it’s followed by the word BUT, which is an acronym for Behold the UnderlyingTruth. lol Example: I would eat more vegetables BUT I don’t like them. (And so I’m not eating them.) Comería más verduras PERO no me gustan. We would have arrived earlier BUT… (We didn’t arrive earlier.) Habríamos llegado más temprano PERO… I would study more Spanish BUT I just haven’t got the time. ( I can’t be bothered to study more Spanish.) Estudiaría más español PERO simplemente no tengo tiempo. So, as you can see, the Spanish conditional works very much in the same way as does the English version.
It’s not always an excuse tense.
Of course, the conditional can be used for other things such as talking about possibilities and desires. You can use it to talk about what you would like by using GUSTAR. Me gustaría tomar un café. = I would like to have a coffee. Or what you could do: Podría hacerlo. = I could do it.
Spanish Conditional with the dreaded IMPERFECT SUBJUNCTIVE.
Maybe you have already seen a construction with the Spanish conditional along with the imperfect subjunctive, like this: Si tuviera más tiempo lo pasaría estudiando el español. = If I had more time I’d spend it studying Spanish. As this podcast is for beginners, then this particular construction will not be covered here. However, to know more you could always watch our Subjunctive range found on Youtube. So, join us to find out how to make the Spanish Conditional tense and to hear how it is used. Of course, our Helpsheets available on our website will guide and assist you to really grasp this tense and use it like a true native speaker. Hasta pronto, Gordon y Cynthia
Before we look at what a Spanish adverb is, we had better examine just what an adverb is. These are probably one of the little understood parts of English grammar. In fact, so misunderstood are they that they are often omitted from spoken language. An ADVERB is, as it’s name implies, an ADJECTIVE (describing word) that pretends to be a VERB (doing word). How it does that is by tagging LY to its end. So, for example, let’s think of the adjective HAPPY. We know we use it to say things like, “I am happy”. However, if we want to make that into an action, we have to change it to:
“I do the work happily.”
I’m Doing Good!
One adverb which is very much misunderstood is the word “WELL” and its opposite number “BADLY”. If you want to be grammatically correct in English, then when someone asks you the question: “How are you, today?” You should answer with: “I’m WELL” or “I’m doing WELL.” or “I’m not doing too BADLY.” Unfortunately, more and more the answer is heard: “I’m doing GOOD.” or “I’m doing BAD.” In itself, this isn’t a problem except when you are learning another language, such as Spanish. The fact is that we simply cannot mess about with the Spanish adverbs such asBIEN and MAL as much as we do with the English ones. You see,GOOD and BAD are ADJECTIVES, not ADVERBS. So, when you say, “I’M GOOD“, or SOY BUENO in Spanish, you are referring to the type of person that you are. You are saying: “I’M A GOOD PERSON.” and not actually commenting on your state of being, as you do when you say “ESTOY BIEN” which means “I’M FINE/WELL.”
A Big Mistake!
Even worse, if you mix up the verb with the adjective and say: “ESTOY BUENO”, you are actually saying, “I’M SEXY“. Now, that might be true, but it isn’t something that you want to go around telling people. Better that you let them make their own mind up on that, don’t you think? lol The same applies with the words, MAL and MALO. You use MAL when you want to say that you are feeling bad. “ESTOY MAL” whereas MALO means bad in another way, like a bad person. So, if you say, “SOY MALO” you are saying that you are intrinsically BAD/WICKED/EVIL. The correct version is to say: “ESTOY MAL“, which describes your current state: “I’M POORLY/ILL“. Of all the Spanish adverbs, these are probably the ones that create most problems, however, in this podcast we help you understand how to construct all the adverbs and what their job is. It’s really worth becoming familiar with them, and when you do, your Spanish, as well as your Spanish Adverbs, will move forward to a new level of excellence. Buena suerte, Gordon y Cynthia
64 - Beginners Spanish Podcast 25 – Here and There in Spanish?
Here and There in Spanish. Have you ever been confused by the different words for Here and There in Spanish? There are certainly more than you might imagine. Perhaps you have heard a Spanish speaker say: “Ven aquí.” only to hear another say: “Ven para acá.” Or have you heard someone say: “El mercado está allá.” only to hear someone else say: ” La estación está allí”. Then, of course, there’s always the option of saying: “Mira, está ahí.” Faced with this confusion about just how to say Here and There in Spanish, you may find yourself worried that you might make a mistake. The truth of the matter is that it’s not so difficult. As you watch or listen to this podcast, however, you should notice that even to a native Spanish speaker, (Cynthia) there is a bit of confusion as to whether AHÍ meant SPECIFICALLY THERE or GENERALLY THERE. The reality is that AHÍ means THERE, very specifically. Imagine a spot on a piece of paper. The spot is AHÍ. In Spain, ALLÍ is THERE but in a more general context. It’s still quite specific an area, yet not as defined as a spot on the paper. You could say, “Cuando estaba allí.” = When I was there. The biggest difficulty is that each country, region and area has its own rules about what each one means. For example, many L.A. countries use ALLÁ much more than ALLÍ. Is it Scon or Scone? Arguing about the meaning of a word can often be an exercise in futility given that the meaning depends on the person and not the word. Throughout the Spanish speaking word there are countless examples of verbs that in one country mean one thing, and in another mean something completely different. One student said that his Peruvian teacher had told him that to “remove” something was “remover”. Yet in Spain, “Remover” means “to stir” and Spanish speakers use “quitar” to mean “to remove”. What do I do then? The best way to deal with these kind of issues is to pay attention, or simply ask the people in the area in which you holiday, visit or live. Then, you copy them. Having said all of this, this doesn’t make the information in this podcast worthless. It is still valuable and can be used as a guide of what might be called “standard Spanish” until such time as you find out what goes on in the area you find yourself in. Remember, the Spanish language is fluid, flexible and ever changing and so to avoid frustration and confusion, the ideal is that you keep an open mind to everything that you learn and when you hear someone say the words “Always” and “Never”, then start to doubt them. Trust us, after many years of teaching we have realised that in Spanish, “always” and “never” simply don’t exist.
63 - Spanish Lesson Beginners 24 – Saying AGO in Spanish
Have you wondered how to say, AGO in Spanish? Just as in English, in Spanish there is a specific way to say: “Ten years ago.” or, “Three weeks ago” At first, it might seem a little confusing, given that Spanish speakers put the “Ago” in a different place to us, and that rather than saying, “Ago”, they say, “It makes”. Yes, that’s right. The equivalent Spanish phrase to the English, “Ten years ago.” is “It makes ten years” Why do they use Hace? There is no real answer to this question. In fact, it’s just these kinds of questions that can cause us a hiccough in our learning progress. The reason for that is because once you begin to learn another language you quickly find that many of the rules you have known and used all of your life in your own language simply don’t apply any more. The best way to deal with these kind of anomalies is to just accept them as the Spanish way. Trust that after a while, using Hacer to talk about time will seem like the most natural thing in the world. You may even start to discover that your English begins to sound a little weird when you speak. Let me give you an example of this. The other day, I (Gordon) was with my two year old son, Sebastián, and I noticed that he was putting his fingers in the door jam. Without thinking I said to him in English, “Sebastián, be careful because you might make your fingers damage.” At the time the sentence sounded perfectly fine to me, until Cynthia began to laugh loudly and bring to my attention that what I had said was in no way an English sentence. I had used the Spanish structure of, “hacerte daño” in an English sentence. For some reason, this was very funny to Cynthia and so she then proceeded to tell all of my family what I had done. The same applies to the use of Hace when you talk about time, or the way Spanish speakers say that they “have years”, or “cold”. The more you use these words and phrases, the more they will sound perfectly fine to you. So, say hello to some new language structures and say goodbye to your English. lol. In this podcast we also cover how to say, “since 1999” or “from March of this year” as well as “for the last ten years”. We hope you find it to be of value and will see you in the next podcast. Hasta pronto
62 - Beginners Spanish Podcast 22 – Spanish Pronunciation – The Nose Rule
Putting Emphasis on your Emphasis. A student of ours had some Spanish pronunciation problems when he once tried to buy some sugar in a shop in Spain and spent a good while repeating the same word over and over again with no success. Finally, defeated, he left the shop without his “azúcar”. The problem he had was that he wasn’t putting the emphasis, “el golpe de voz” in the right place. Rather than saying; azUcar, he was saying; azucAr. Now, that may seem like a minor infraction, but believe us when we tell you that just by changing where the emphasis goes on a word can completely confuse your listener. So how do I know where to put the emphasis? Well, this is where some little tips can help you in a big way. In this Podcast we give you three great ways of knowing just exactly where to place the stress on any Spanish word. There is “The Nose Rule”, “The Broken Nose Rule”, and then, “Everything Else”. Once you have these simple rules in your head, your Spanish pronunciation will be great and you will always know how a word should be pronounced, even if you don’t know the word. As anyone who has learnt English will know, being able to pronounce correctly an unknown word is a real luxury. Because Spanish is phonetic, that means that as you see the word you say it, there is never any mystery apart from which vowel to stress. Now, with this useful Podcast, the last part of the puzzle fits into place. A Big Tip on Spanish Pronunciation. Did you realise that the stress in any word always falls on a vowel in Spanish pronunciation (and in English for that matter)? Now that you know that fact and combine it with the learnings we offer you in the Podcast, then from now on, you should be able to pronounce perfectly every Spanish words and, more importantly, make yourself understood. We hope this helps and wish you every success in your future Spanish pronunciation and sugar purchases.
61 - Beginners Spanish Podcast 21- Help with QUE in Spanish
For any serious student of the Spanish language, asking; “What does QUE in Spanish mean?” is probably one of the most fundamental questions that they seek answers to! Not long after you begin your learning journey, you begin to notice the worrying frequency in which QUE, or QUÉ, or LO QUE, for that matter appear in whichever text or exercise you are working through. With this realisation comes certain trepidation as we begin to ask ourselves if we will ever really understand it properly. The Good News. The good news is, however, that it’s not as difficult as it might first seem. Basically, QUE in Spanish is what you might call the cement that joins the bricks of your words and sentences together. It is, literally, everywhere in both written and spoken Spanish, and yet its meanings are not as diverse as you might imagine. Here, it is important to state clearly that having a command of this word is so fundamental to your Spanish that it would be folly not to pay special attention to this podcast. It’s not a one-time listen and probably deserves a number of listens until you have the ideas firmly implanted in your mind. In the ten minutes that we cover this subject we cover all of the main uses of QUE in Spanish and in what contexts you would use them, something which is very important to any student of Spanish. Some of the meanings of QUE. So, what does QUE in Spanish mean? Well, it can mean, THAT, it can also mean, WHICH, it can mean, WHAT as a statement and WHAT? as a question. Sometimes Spanish speakers use QUE in place of WHO, also. A Curious use of QUE. One of the more confusing uses of QUE is when a speaker begins a sentence with it! e.g. …que mañana voy a llegar un poco más tarde. Although the sentence starts with QUE, it would translate like this: I’m going to arrive a little later tomorrow. So why do they put a QUE at the beginning? Well, it’s almost as though the front of the sentence is missing and that what they really wanted to say was: Quería decirte que… = I wanted to tell you that… So, instead of saying the whole sentence, for quickness they skip the beginning and start at the QUE. This isn’t something that we would suggest you use right away, however, now that you are aware you can listen out for it. Only, this time, you won’t be confused about why a Spanish speaker is starting their sentence with QUE. Extra Help. As well as the video and the podcast that comes with this lesson, we offer our helpsheets that assist you in gaining a deeper understanding of how to understand and use this important word. You can be sure to have the question, “What does QUE in Spanish mean?” answered fully and completely. All Helpsheets come with full explanations and exercises to check that you have understood the information we offer you. For those who have more questions than answers, feel free to ask for a one-to-one session on Skype in which we can clear up any doubts or misunderstandings you have.
60 - Beginners Spanish Podcast 20 – Important Verb Review
Now that you have these important verbs under your belt, so to speak, listen to us using them all in general conversation. This is your chance to get tuned in and develop your ‘ear’ for the Spanish language. ¡Buena suerte! Remember, a wealth of additional information about this Spanish lesson for beginners can be found in our comprehensive Spanish help-sheets available to all our students now.
59 - Beginners Spanish Podcast 19 – Four More Important Spanish Verbs
Did you know that there are more irregular Spanish verbs than there are regular? That’s why you must catch this podcast. Come and join us as we continue helping you to get to grips with four more vitally important verbs that will help you move your Spanish forward at LightSpeed. Of course, all the additional information about this free Spanish podcast can be found in the Spanish help-sheets we offer for all of our lessons.
58 - Beginners Spanish Podcast 18 – Four Important Spanish Verbs
In this Spanish lesson for beginners we help you learn four important Spanish verbs and their, at times, strange structures. You simply can’t get by without these ones! Listen in as we coach you step by step through their usage and help you become comfortable with their conjugations. As always, please note that all the additional information and guidance can be found in the comprehensive Spanish help-sheets. They were written and designed especially with the learner in mind. You won’t be disappointed.
If you’ve arrived this far…¡Enhorabuena! Now it’s time to review everything we’ve covered by putting it into conversation. Why not challenge yourself and see how much you can pick up the first time! Loads more information can be found, as always, in the comprehensive Spanish help-sheets available now.
56 - Beginners Spanish Podcast 16 – Spanish Question Words
Who? What? When? Where? How? Without these and all the other Spanish question words you simply cannot ask the questions that will lead you to a wonderful Spanish conversation. Join us for this Spanish podcast for beginners to hear some handy ways to commit them to memory forever. Don’t forget that lots more information can be found in the comprehensive Spanish help-sheets available now.
Although the weather isn’t quite as important a subject for some as it is for others, this is an absolute must for any Spanish student. Come and join us as we help you learn how to describe every kind of weather from freezing cold to baking hot! Of course, all the additional information for this beginners Spanish lesson can be found in our Spanish help-sheets, which have been designed with the learner in mind. You’re sure to love them!
54 - Beginners Spanish Podcast 14 – Tell Time in Spanish
Do speakers tell time in Spanish like we do, or do they have a totally different system? Listen to this Spanish lesson for beginners as we explain their straight-forward process and show you what it means when you say things like “It’s seven less fifteen.” For your greater understanding, all the additional information and guidance can be found in the comprehensive help-sheets.
53 - Beginners Spanish Podcast 13 – Masculine and Feminine Spanish Words
Did you know that all Spanish naming words are either masculine or feminine? Did you know that there’s no rhyme nor reason to it? So, how on earth do you know whether a word is masculine or feminine? Listen in on this Spanish podcast as we show you how to know and give you some tips on some of the more complex words. Remember, all the additional information and guidance on masculine and feminine Spanish words can be found in the comprehensive Spanish help-sheets that have been designed with you, the learner, in mind.
52 - Beginners Spanish Podcast 12 – Spanish Word Order
Are you confused about Spanish sentence construction and Spanish word order? You don’t need to be. So many students think it’s more complicated than it is. There are actually only a couple of important things to learn. Join us in this beginner Spanish lesson as we help take the confusion out of sentence construction and help you make basic, but all important, sentences in the same way a Spanish speaker would. Learn more with our Spanish help-sheets, which dive even deeper into the topic.
Two different verbs to say the same word. How confusing! Don’t worry, in this beginner Spanish lesson we explain how these two similar yet very different verbs work. Listen in and learn how knowing things, people and places are dealt with in the Spanish language. Here we help you understand which one of these verbs you would use when you know “someone” or when you know “stuff”! For more on the difference between saber and conocer, have a look at our Spanish help-sheets.
Talking about likes and dislikes is not only one of the key parts to Spanish conversation but is also a fabulous conversation piece for any serious student of Spanish. In this Spanish lesson for beginners, we help you learn the basic structure of the verb “to like”. Watch out for the three question formula that will ensure you always get it right! Learn even more about gustar in our comprehensive Spanish help-sheets for beginners.
To be or not to be? These two verbs form part of one of the most important areas of your early Spanish learning. Just as in English, you will find them liberally throughout the Spanish language and there are few sentences that don’t need these verbs. The issue is, there are two of them! And so the question is: “When do you use ser and when estar?” Listen to our ninth free Spanish podcast for beginners as we start to help demystify the most important use of ser and estar. We go over ser and estar more in depth in our comprehensive Spanish help-sheets.
Being able to use the future is fabulous in conversation as well as a fundamental part of your Spanish learning. Here in the eighth beginner Spanish lesson at LightSpeed Spanish we help you learn the basic structure of “going to go” which is the most common and certainly the most straight forward future tense that Spanish speakers have. Once you have the future tense in Spanish, you are going to have a great Spanish level! Much more information is, of course, available in our comprehensive Spanish help-sheets for beginners.
47 - Beginners Spanish Podcast 7 – Counting in Spanish
Many students of the Spanish language shy away from counting in Spanish because they feel that numbers are too difficult. This is far from the case and the truth is that learning numbers is as important as any other aspect of the Spanish language. Especially when it comes down to money! There are a number of common errors that Spanish students make when using Spanish numbers and in this Spanish podcast for beginners we assist you in learning how to avoid them from the beginning and pronounce like a Spanish person. It’s as easy as ¡Uno, dos y tres! Remember that much more information can be found in our comprehensive Spanish help-sheets for beginners.
Someone once said that questions are the answer and in your Spanish language learning journey this is very true. To really be able to instigate a conversation in Spanish, you need some great questions. People love to be asked interesting questions and in this free beginner Spanish lesson we help you learn a range of useful Spanish phrases and questions that will give you the confidence you need to make small talk with any Spanish speaker. As always, all the additional information and guidance can be found in our comprehensive Spanish help-sheets.
No matter what some people tell you, if you really want to speak Spanish correctly and be understood well then you must “dominar” the verb conjugation. This just means that you must know how to take a verb like, “to eat” and break it down into the separate people, like “I eat, you eat, she eats” etc. In this free Spanish podcast we’ll show you how to learn our simple, easy to remember and super speedy method of breaking down conjugating Spanish verbs. In ten minutes we can help you save you months of blood, sweat and tears learning Spanish verb conjugation the hard way. As always, all the additional information and guidance can be found in our comprehensive Spanish help-sheets.
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